During the lockout of 1994-95, the owners were making a great deal of noise about using replacement players during the negotiations, and some members of the NHL Players Association executive committee at the time were asked for their reaction.

Maple Leafs tough guy defenceman Ken Baumgartner was one such member of that committee and issued the famous quote saying: “Well, the owners might try, but any player thinking of doing that should remember that hockey is a game that very well lends itself to retribution.”

At this point, you have to be wondering whether those words might be ringing in the ears of one Roman Hamrlik after his recent public comments suggesting NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr should quickly get a deal with the NHL at any cost.

For the record, the Washington Capitals defenceman told a Czech language paper: “I am disgusted. We have to push Fehr to the wall to get the deal. Time is against us. We lost one quarter of the season; it is $425 million. Who will give it back to us, Mr. Fehr? There should be voting between the players. If half of players say let’s play, then they should sign new CBA. If there is no season, he should leave and we will find someone new. Time is our enemy.”

Talk about breaking ranks. It’s, of course, one thing to say that privately to anyone you care to say it to — including Fehr himself — but entirely another to show the owners that their traditional draconian starvation strategy is working the wonders is usually does.

Needless to say, there were no end of players getting all over Hamrlik for his comments, essentially telling him to keep it in-house.

And as well, all those commenting seems to have learned the lesson Brad May and the Vancouver Canucks learned from the Todd Bertuzzi affair, about making public comments beforehand about seeking revenge.

Everyone has been quick to state that such draconian days have passed and that the veteran defenceman wouldn’t be targeted on the ice once play gets underway again.

But Baumgartner’s comments are as true today as they were 16 years ago — or almost as true. Will players who were shocked and offended by Hamrlik’s remarks take an extra run at the guy when the occasion presents itself after all they’ve been through, particularly given many think such comments simply embolden the owners and likely prolong the lockout?

Even more interesting to watch afterwards will be the reaction of the on-ice officials if such action does take place.

As everyone who now works in the striped-shirt profession knows, the way to advance your career in this league is to give the commissioner everything he wants, or everything you might think he wants, as a loyal and trusted employee.

As such, anyone taking that tack would throw the book at any player who might dare harm a hair on Hamrlik’s chinny-chin chin, to say nothing about what the rest of the browbeaten lackeys might do to the guy in supplementary discipline, assuming there are no changes in the present procedure.

But there’s also another way to look at this. NHL officials are also members of a union or an Association themselves, and have faced similar hardball tactics from the very same NHL owners and their long-standing commissioner. They know that when their agreement is up they are likely to face the very same treatment as the players.

How much would they appreciate one of their members voicing the very same sentiments as Hamrlik during one of their negotiations?

Following that logic would suggest any official in this camp might tend to turn a blind eye toward anyone laying out the 38-year-old Czech.

Tough choice. Solidarity or apple polishing, such a tough decision for some.

There you go, just another reason to want hockey back. So much to look for once they start playing the game again.